Saturday, June 04, 2016

Hong Kong: H7N9 Detected At Tuen Mun Live Market

Credit HK CHP

#11,429

One of the things that sets the LPAI H7N9 virus apart from HPAI H5 viruses like H5N1 and H5N6 is that while it can cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans, it doesn’t cause illness or death in poultry – making it very difficult to detect.

Hong Kong is particularly sensitive to the threat posed by avian flu viruses, as they were the site of the first outbreak of human H5N1 in 1997, which produced 18 cases and 6 deaths.

Six years later they were hit again, this time by SARS, which saw 1750 of their residents infected and resulted in 286 deaths (see SARS And Remembrance).

Which is why Hong Kong trains continually, holds yearly drills, and conducts intensive year round surveillance to be ready when the next serious infectious disease turns up on their doorstep (seeHong Kong’s AFCD Holds Bird Flu Exercise).

Today Hong Kong authorities have announced the discovery - through routine environmental testing of poultry markets - of the H7N9 virus at a poultry stall in Tuen Mun.

While no human infections have been reported, this discovery will spark an immediate and aggressive response. This from Hong Kong's CHP.

Faecal droppings of live poultry from Yan Oi Market in Tuen Mun tested positive of H7N9 virusA spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
(FEHD) said today (June 5) that under the routine surveillance programme
for avian influenza (AI) at markets and fresh provision shops which is
commissioned by the department and conducted by the University of Hong
Kong, a sample of faecal droppings of live poultry taken from a poultry
stall in Yan Oi Market in Tuen Mun on May 16 was tested positive
yesterday (June 4) of the H7N9 avian influenza virus. The Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will declare the live
poultry stalls at Yan Oi Market in Tuen Mun as an infected place which
will be closed for thorough disinfection and cleansing.

The
spokesman said, "There are two poultry stalls in Yan Oi Market and there
is no sample from the other stall tested positive of H7N9 virus. The
affected stall sells live poultry, including live chickens and pigeons.
The FEHD, upon receiving the test result, has immediately conducted
thorough cleansing and disinfection at the two stalls and is tracing the
source of the poultry."

In accordance with the contingency
plan for detection of AI virus in Hong Kong, trading of live poultry
will be suspended pending follow-up investigations to trace the source
of the virus.

Supply of chickens from local farms have been
suspended. The AFCD will conduct inspection on all local chicken farms
and collect samples for AI testing in order to ascertain that none of
the local farms or chickens have been infected with AI. Import of live
poultry will also be suspended.

The AFCD will continue with
the surveillance and monitoring of local chicken farms. It has requested
all poultry farmers to immediately report any abnormalities and adhere
strictly to the biosecurity measures at the farms. The AFCD will notify
the World Organisation for Animal Health of the incident.

For
AI prevention, the FEHD has implemented a number of measures at public
market stalls selling live poultry, including enhanced inspections and
ensuring strict compliance with the requirement of "no overnight
stocking", that is, live poultry stall operators must slaughter all live
poultry in the stalls before 8pm every evening and no live poultry can
be kept on the premises between 8pm and 5am the following day. In
addition, all public areas at the markets are cleansed three times a day
by the market cleaning contractors. Live poultry stall operators are
also required to clean their stalls after the close of business every
day, after which the market cleaning contractors will clean and
disinfect the stalls once again.

The spokesman pointed out
that the FEHD has commissioned the University of Hong Kong to conduct
routine AI surveillance at markets and fresh provision shops. Each
month, a total of 300 faecal and drinking samples are taken from 30
venues, including 25 live poultry stalls at FEHD markets and five
licensed fresh provision shops with endorsement to sell live poultry,
for AI testing, with the aim to reduce the possibilities of the spread
of AI virus in Hong Kong.The spokesman said the Government
will remain vigilant and implement diligently a series of risk
management measures to safeguard public health and hygiene.